What was Akihabara like years ago? I now live in Tokyo and can

It's a place for normie westerners now

>>14305091
That I can tell, I always see them all around it.

Neat

>>14305091
Then what's the best place in Tokyo to visit if you're looking for hardcore otaku stuff now?

>>14305361
Anywhere with internet access, since you can just get whatever you want online.

I remember a fantastic thread about this. I'll try to find it.

>>14305431
Found it.
>

Not just that, the street parades in Akiba were a big thing. Being in Akiba beforehand was a weird sensation, it had much more of a community feeling and felt like you were a part of a strange musical all the time. You'd have otaku in pseudo-cosplay dancing in the street, calling out references to various anime, manga and games. You could get two guys having a trading card battle, calling out attack names and everyone would gather around and clap and cheer. People would call stuff out and everyone would have a good laugh, it wasn't cameras constantly flashing, stars posing in elaborate cosplays promoting material and maid cafes where you are made to feel like a number. It had a totally different feeling, if something happened to a vital community point, everyone would know about it and tend to it, even if they didn't live there. The residents liked that and it make Akiba feel like a homely place. If you ever went to the old maid cafes it was very different from what you get now, first of all there wasn't actually many maids - but a lot of cosplay and second of all instead of being sold some kind of cheap service for thousands of yen, if you ate there, one of the cosplayers may occasionally get on the piano in the corner and play songs which everyone would sing along to. There was also a lot of pirate radio in Akihabara and private TV 'studios' which filmed talk shows with a live audience which were then downloaded or distributed on DVD for people who didn't go.

>People forget that cities aren't just transparent places for transparent people, they have communities of their own which need to be maintained and Akihabara's is in the dust.

The post that illustrates it the best, in my opinion. The threads:
https://warosu.org/jp/thread/S10357442
https://warosu.org/jp/thread/S11702966
https://warosu.org/jp/thread/S11708436
https://warosu.org/jp/thread/S12083784#p12086039 (you can read the rest too but things get interesting from this point)
https://warosu.org/jp/thread/S12111107
https://warosu.org/jp/thread/S12098843

>>14305470
Thanks for the links.

>>14305470
>https://warosu.org/jp/thread/S12098843
I remember that thread thanks

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Here's some Akiba photos (pre-Yodobashi Camera) from a personal trip back in the summer of 2005. 1/10

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whoops, didn't have a 10th from 2005, so here's a 2006 shot roughly 6 months after.

I'm glad otaku culture went to mass-marketed shit because if not for that I probably would have never found it.

>>14305861
But now you might live in constant desire for genuineness that's no longer there. Or maybe you don't care.

>>14305898
>But now you might live in constant desire for genuineness that's no longer there.
I do, but it's the same kind of needling desire as the one telling me I should do something with my life. Usually I try and drown myself in media until it goes away.

Everything looks so much nicer then.

>>14305470
Things like this make me feel sad, phobic culture like this defines a place but now it just seems like a commercial district.

>>14305470
Reminds me of the depiction of Ikebukuro in DRRR. Shame it's so commercialized and lifeless now.

>>14305861
It would have anyway, but that's not what killed Akiba. It was some dude running through the packed streets and knifing people.

>>14305056
I have been there 10 years ago. I don't know if this is related but now I see much more foreigners everywhere, specially on Akiba.

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I'm gonna revive these image macros.

The other month I was looking for cosplay goods in Akiba and I just couldn't find anything walking around.. I know the average person in Akiba just wants to passively look at pretty girls while looking like a piece of shit but jeez

I live 10-15 minutes away but I can't feel any reason to go anymore now that everything's online... it doesn't feel like a magical place at all either.

>>14306380
I guess it is only good for sex toys now.

everytime i see filthy thai or corean or chinese tourist group i want to become new kato tomohiro

I really think it needs more community areas like karaoke bars, cosplay cafes, etc. Not depressing purely commercial ventures like Maidreamin that demean the human spirit.

Any other ideas?

>>14306490
The original spirit was a 'normie' free zone where otaku can feel comfortable among themselves, right? Something along those lines.

>>14306544
I can't understand the merit of being around the average otaku

>>14305056
>changed a lot, especially after 2007
Akiba is always changing.

I used to be a niche electronics parts shopping district(not even it's first form).
Then it became a mainstream electronics shopping district.
Then a video game/anime goods shopping district.
Not its idol/porn goods shopping and entertainment district.

Who knows what's going to become in the next 5 years? My bet is going to pachinko and soap.

>>14306661
I agree that the psychological barrier for going to a brothel would be lowered if it were in a familiar area like Akiba instead of Shinjuku or somewhere.

>>14305470
>You could get two guys having a trading card battle, calling out attack names and everyone would gather around and clap and cheer.

I'd go back to playing Magic for that. No, wait, Netrunner.

>>14305470
The way you've put it makes it sound like an oversized year-round anime convention.

Not that I've ever been to one.

>>14306803
I've been to Reitaisai and it was kinda like that, yeah. There even were card game tables with people playing and watching.

>>14305056
Good for you, now fuck off.

>>14305470
>You'd have otaku in pseudo-cosplay dancing in the street, calling out references to various anime, manga and games. You could get two guys having a trading card battle, calling out attack names and everyone would gather around and clap and cheer.

This sounds autismal as fuck, honestly.

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>>14306239
okay

>>14305104
>>14305121
>>14305124
>>14305134
>>14305138

Why not just post the video?

>>14305823
RIP

What happened to it again?

akiba was a nice place in the 80's

after that i wouldn't bother going

>>14305802
holy fuck is that a 4 door r34? never seen one of those

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>>14305361
Nakano Broadway. Tons of small shops with all sorts of in depth otaku shit. The building has all the charm of a dying suburban shopping mall but it's generally much cheaper than Akiba and has a pretty good selection. Vidya is overpriced. Figurines are abundant, as well as card shops.

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>>14307818
wow I fucked that up. here it is again

>>14306380
Akiba has lots of nooks and crannies. The main drag is where all the tourists go so the shops cater to them but the side and back streets still have lots to offer. Quit browsing like a tourist.

>>14307174
I think that's the point. Akiba was a place where being a huge nerd was the norm and they were free to be be openly huge nerds.

>>14307844
But I prefer not to have my kidneys harvested.

I almost would like to think of this thread as a virtual akibahara, im not sure... its amazing having anons who are fortunate enough to attend cons and what not and upload scans and files and stuff. reading this thread made me feel sad. if the real neet spirit is here, lets make this our own virtual akiba. it is in a sense, but lets keep going. this is a wild grandiose vision of mine, but i think we can do it.

>>14307821
Yes, that's Nakano Broadway alright. Personally I'm not all that interested in stuff like that, so I only went there once, but it was definetly an interesting place.

>>14312047
What's more important, your kidneys, or having fun?

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Akiba is what you make of it imo. the Otaku inside you will add or take away value from your experience.

of course a normie can normie it up, but if you what niche thing you're looking for you can cut past all the touristy BS and have a good time

>>14315252

I like your way of thinking.

>>14316025
This. The main street and 1st back street of Akihabara is pretty normie tier, but when I went there last July I dwelved deep into the bowels of Akiba and found some pretty cool cafes, like the ninja cafe and some other stuff too. Since the main stores have a constant cash flow, the less advertised ones have to compete to pay for rent and etc so they must improve their service. You will have much more fun if you spend time exploring the backstreets than just walking on the main road, but thats just my opinion.

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>>14307398
We tuff dawgz now?

>>14307111
Stop being bitter you lazy neckbeard. Save your money and you can visit Akiba too, hopefully with less salt.

Kind of a weird question, but I'm planning on staying in Akiba next summer. Would it be weird to have luggage on the trains when I'm moving in between cities, or would it be wise to just keep a hotel rented to keep stuff in? I could just backpack to smaller towns.

Shit been niwakaville for years now ever since it started becoming popular amongst Shibuyafags.

>>14305104
Fuck. Is that place right near the subway station? I think I remember cutting through there back in 2007.

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I forget what I got there, but I remember running into the Gamers store.

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That was one of the big stores. Think it was near the subway stop we got out at.

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Is Super Potato still a cute little vidya store? I know friends living there said they loved it, so they made sure to take me there.

>>14318593
Why is it called Gamers if they mostly sell anime goods?

>>14318606
Went there a couple years ago and yeah, it's still a pretty small but pretty stocked store. The Throne of Games with Snake was still there too.

>>14305056
would /jp/ argue that youtuber nerds uploading videos of akihabara are the final nail on the coffin?

>>14318593
>>14318598
Gamers is still there.

blah blah blah densha otoko
blah blah blah niwaka
etc etc

>>14318624
Probably sold games originally

>>14318940
Westerners had little to do with it.

>>14305818

That glasses dude looks based.